Shoppers celebrate Trader Joe's opening

The Olympian • Published August 21, 2009

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OLYMPIA - The long-awaited Trader Joe's store opened this morning to Hawaiian music and a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Olympia Mayor Doug Mah, and although it rained, hundreds of people still lined up early to shop. Some shoppers arrived as early as 7 a.m., two hours before the store opened.

By the time the store opened, the line of customers stretched from Trader Joe's to Van Dorm Realty on Cooper Point Road. The new store is at 1530 Black Lake Boulevard, near the intersection of Black Lake Boulevard and Cooper Point Road. The store also is next to a Barnes & Noble Booksellers.

One of the first to arrive was Corie Jones of Olympia, a fan of Trader Joe's who used to shop at its University Place store once every six weeks, she said. Jones said she lobbied the California-based company to come to South Sound for years, writing letters and sending emails. She plans to shop at the Olympia store daily, Jones said.

For more on this story, see Saturday's Olympian.